


Dream Team

by telperion_15



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, First Kiss, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-21
Updated: 2010-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-13 22:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telperion_15/pseuds/telperion_15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Gwaine is jealous, and Merlin is confused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dream Team

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for 3x13 'The Coming of Arthur (Part2)', and minor spoilers for 2x04 'Lancelot and Guinevere'.

Merlin walked into Gaius’s chambers, and halted suddenly, surprised to find Gwaine sitting at Gaius’s workbench.

He hadn’t seen much of any of Arthur’s new knights since they’d all returned to Camelot. It wasn’t surprising, really – everyone had a lot to do in the wake of Morgana’s attempted takeover and her subsequent disappearance. And he rather suspected that Arthur had been keeping Gwaine and the others out of the king’s way, waiting until Uther had recovered somewhat before springing this new development on him.

So finding Gwaine here was unexpected to say the least, but Merlin’s surprise quickly turned to pleasure as he smiled at the other man.

“Hello! What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you, actually,” Gwaine replied. “Where have you been?”

“Oh, you know, here and there,” Merlin said. “Sorting things out, tidying things up.” He paused, and then shrugged. “Mainly in Arthur’s rooms, funnily enough.”

That drew a faint smile from Gwaine, but it was gone after only a second or two, and internally Merlin frowned. Something was a bit off here.

“And this afternoon I’ve been helping Gaius out with his patients.” Merlin continued his explanation, on the lookout for Gwaine’s reactions now. “There are still plenty of people recovering from Morgana’s initial coup and her attempts to make examples of them.” This time there was nothing internal about Merlin’s frown, and there was nothing unusual about Gwaine’s matching expression.

“So where’s Gaius now?” Gwaine asked.

“Gone to check on the king. But he needs some more remedies, so he sent me back here to collect a fresh stock from the shelves.” Merlin patted the empty satchel slung over his shoulder as evidence of his claim.

“Right, of course.”

“So, why were you looking for me, then?”

But Gwaine didn’t answer the question. Instead he just looked at Merlin, long enough to turn Merlin’s grin decidedly fixed, and make him start to wonder whether there wasn’t something seriously wrong.

However, before he could repeat his enquiry, Gwaine suddenly blinked and turned away, picking up a bowl from the bench in front of him and examining it with far more attention than it deserved.

“Er, Gwaine…?”

“You and Lancelot seem pretty chummy,” Gwaine said abruptly, the observation coming seemingly out of the blue.

“What? Lancelot? Well, yes, we’re friends.”

“He’s helped you out of a few scrapes before, so I hear.”

“Me and Arthur, yes. And Gwen once, too.”

“A good man to have by your side in a tight spot.”

“Yes…” said Merlin, wondering where on earth this was all going.

“Makes sense that you’d take him with you when you went to destroy the cup, then.”

“I suppose it does.” Then Merlin noticed that Gwaine was glaring at the bowl in his hands with enough venom to shatter it, even without the possession of magic, and he suddenly realised something.

“Wait a minute, are you _jealous_ of Lancelot?”

Gwaine stood up quickly, his stool toppling backward with the suddenness of the movement. “What? No, of course not.”

“You are, aren’t you?” said Merlin, sure he was right. “You’re jealous of him.”

“Fine, you know what? I am. I am jealous of him,” Gwaine admitted, looking everywhere but at Merlin.

“But why?” Merlin asked, honestly confused. “Why would you be jealous of Lancelot?”

Gwaine hesitated, still apparently more interested in the stone floor than Merlin. Then, “I thought I was your friend,” he muttered.

Merlin laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “You _are_ my friend,” he said incredulously. “And so is Lancelot. Aren’t I allowed more than one friend?”

“Yes,” replied Gwaine, although he didn’t sound at all convinced by his answer.

“What’s really the problem, Gwaine?” Merlin said, certain there was more to this. “Lancelot is a good man, you know he is. He doesn’t deserve your dislike.”

Gwaine finally looked up at that, his face wearing an expression of surprise. “I don’t _dislike_ him,” he proclaimed. “It’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

“I heard you together, in the cave in the woods, before we headed back to Camelot. Whispering, planning your little mission, keeping it secret from everyone else.”

“And?”

“And I thought I was the one you asked for help. I thought we were a team. And now I discover I was just a substitute for him. He wasn’t around, so you made do with me.”

Merlin laughed again. “Oh, you _are_ joking. I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my entire life. And I have to listen to Arthur blethering on every day, so I have plenty of material for comparison.”

But he realised immediately that it had been the wrong reaction. Gwaine’s fists were clenched, and he had taken an angry step forward. Merlin’s eyes widened. “Gwaine?” he asked tentatively, never having seen the normally laid back, cheerful man in a temper before.

“You don’t get it,” Gwaine said through gritted teeth, taking another step forward, towards Merlin. “I thought we were a team.”

His hands came up suddenly, and Merlin tensed, bracing for a blow, and yet at the same time not able to quite believe that Gwaine would actually _hit_ him.

But Gwaine didn’t hit him. Instead he grabbed Merlin’s upper arms, jerking him forward into a hard, and wholly unexpected, kiss.

It was over in the blink of an eye, and then Gwaine was stepping back again hurriedly, looking shocked and contrite.

“Merlin, I’m…sorry. I shouldn’t have…oh, hell.” Gwaine scrubbed a hand across his face, his expression now weary, and little lost.

“Oh,” said Merlin, raising a hand to his lips, where he could still feel the scratch of Gwaine’s beard, and imagined his could still feel the warmth of his lips. “A _team_.” Then he smiled, suddenly and widely. “Why didn’t you say so before?”

Gwaine looked at him, startled. “What?”

“Lancelot is my friend,” Merlin said. “But you’re right, you and I are a team.” He reached out and biffed Gwaine gently on the shoulder with his knuckles. But Gwaine caught his hand and pulled, reeling Merlin in until they were standing chest to chest.

“A team,” he repeated, smiling now too and seemingly over his surprise. Then he winked at Merlin. “A dream team.”

Merlin snorted with laughter, but nonetheless nodded. “If you like.”

Gwaine’s smile turned a little feral. “Oh, I _do_ like,” he replied. “I like very much.”


End file.
